editorNPR Digital Services RSS Generator 0.94Clay Masters is a reporter for Iowa Public Radio and formerly for Harvest Public Media. His stories have appeared on NPRNPR Digital Services RSS Generator 0.94Clay MastersSat, 20 Aug 2016 07:25:40 +0000Clay Mastershttp://kasu.org
Clay MastersCopyright 2016 NPR. To see more, visit CORNISH, HOST: There's one issue the major presidential candidates seem to agree on. Both Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton say they're opposed to President Obama's multi-national trade agreement known as the Trans-Pacific Partnership. In the swing state of Iowa, many agricultural groups like the TPP because it will open new markets for exports like Iowa pork. Iowa Public Radio's Clay Masters reports from the Iowa State Fair, where agriculture and politics meet. UNIDENTIFIED MAN #1: We got a lot of work to do so we're going to get started. But first of all, we're going to call them. CLAY MASTERS, BYLINE: It's standing room only at the swine barn for the Iowa State Fair's big boar contest. UNIDENTIFIED MAN #1: (Imitating boar). MASTERS: The top prize is awarded to the heaviest pig. UNIDENTIFIED MAN #1: One thousand, one hundred forty-eight pounds. MASTERS: On this date, swine veterinarian Howard Hill is one of the fairgoers strolling down theIowa Republicans Struggle To Reconcile Support For Trump And TPPhttp://kasu.org/post/iowa-republicans-struggle-reconcile-support-trump-and-tpp
77961 as http://kasu.orgFri, 19 Aug 2016 21:19:00 +0000Iowa Republicans Struggle To Reconcile Support For Trump And TPPClay MastersRepublican presidential candidate Ted Cruz is stepping up his game in Iowa.The first term Texas senator has picked up influential endorsements there and is drawing bigger crowds.At the stage of the race when many caucus-goers are still deciding who to support in the first in the nation presidential caucus, Cruz is making a big play for Iowa evangelical voters, who helped Mike Huckabee in 2008 and Rick Santorum in 2012 win the Iowa Republican caucuses.On the first Sunday of Advent at the Christian Life Assembly of God Church in Des Moines, Ted Cruz, a Southern Baptist, appeared to feel right at home."It is so wonderful to have a chance to spend Thanksgiving Sunday together. Thank you for welcoming me here," said Cruz. At the church, Cruz talked about how he sees the country's religious liberties under attack but did not mention any of the polls that show him closing in second place in Iowa and gaining ground on front-runner Donald Trump.In a lighter moment, Cruz recited a scene from hisIowa Evangelicals Warm To Ted Cruzhttp://kasu.org/post/iowa-evangelicals-warm-ted-cruz
67502 as http://kasu.orgTue, 01 Dec 2015 15:04:00 +0000Iowa Evangelicals Warm To Ted CruzClay MastersFor decades, many presidential candidates campaigning in Iowa have made sure to offer their loud support for ethanol — the fuel made from corn.Ethanol is an important industry in Iowa. The state is the top producer of ethanol in the nation, accounting for 28 percent of national production, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.But this election cycle, ethanol is not the campaign force it once was.Take the contrast between George W. Bush's 2000 presidential campaign and the current campaign of his brother, Jeb Bush.During a 1999 debate in Iowa, George Bush declared: "I support ethanol, and I support ethanol strongly. I'd support ethanol whether I was in here in Iowa or not."That position helped power Bush to victory in the 2000 Iowa caucuses before eventually winning the White House. The Bush administration created the Renewable Fuel Standard that required ethanol to be blended into the nation's gasoline supply. These days, the Obama administration is proposing toGot Corn? Ethanol Is No Longer King In Iowa Among Candidateshttp://kasu.org/post/got-corn-ethanol-no-longer-king-iowa-among-candidates
66084 as http://kasu.orgTue, 27 Oct 2015 09:03:00 +0000Got Corn? Ethanol Is No Longer King In Iowa Among CandidatesClay Mastershttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mwSw17yPpng Guitarist and songwriter David Dondero is a transient. He's lived all over the country, from Alaska to Texas. When he's not touring, he finds work — most recently as a carpenter in California. But it never lasts. Music always finds its way back into his life."It's a juggling act of holding employment and losing employment and trying to make it all happen," Dondero says. He points to his own song "This Guitar" as reflection of the lifestyle he's chosen: "This damn guitar! Here I am again back down to nothing."Dondero has been playing solo for most of his career. Singer-songwriter Jolie Holland remembers meeting him in the late 1990s outside a show in British Columbia. He was selling records out of the trunk of his car. She says she has them all."Dave's first record was incredibly brilliant, and the last record he put out is incredibly brilliant," Holland says.Holland has taken a different path from Dondero: She's signed to a respected label'Made For This': The Rootless Life Of A Roving Musicianhttp://kasu.org/post/made-rootless-life-roving-musician
39345 as http://kasu.orgSat, 18 Jan 2014 12:59:00 +0000'Made For This': The Rootless Life Of A Roving MusicianClay MastersAt the Central Iowa Shelter and Services in Des Moines, Iowa, health insurance navigator Andrea Pearce stood in a crowded dining hall on a recent day, shouting instructions on how residents can sign up for Medicaid."If you do not have insurance and you want to enroll and you have an e-mail address where you know the password," she said, "come to the computer lab we will guide you through the application."Jerry Gross enthusiastically darted to the front of the line. This tall 56-year-old carries just a duffle bag and his winter coat. He arrived in Des Moines in early December.He says when he can't find a job in one town, he hitchhikes until he can find work. But he's uninsured, and taking care of his health is always tough."I take three different water pills for hypertension. I've got like 10 more days of that left, and after that what do you do?" he says.When the federal Affordable Care Act called for states to expand Medicaid programs to cover people like Gross, Iowa Republican Gov.Iowa Opens The Doors To Medicaid Coverage, On Its Own Termshttp://kasu.org/post/iowa-opens-doors-medicaid-coverage-its-own-terms
38512 as http://kasu.orgThu, 26 Dec 2013 21:21:00 +0000Iowa Opens The Doors To Medicaid Coverage, On Its Own TermsClay MastersIowa City librarian Jason Paulios pulls out his smartphone, enters his library-card number and begins downloading an album by local metal band Blizzard at Sea."So it's extracting now," he says, eyes on the screen. "It's at about 90 percent."The download takes about five minutes to complete. Paulios says it's a great way to check out local music: You could be waiting for a concert to start, download an album by the band you're about to see and then listen to it on the way home.This is the Iowa City Library Local Music Project. The idea for it came to retired librarian John Hiett while he was sitting in a bar, watching a performance by one of his favorite local artists. He realized he was spending the library's budget on a bunch of musicians who weren't from Iowa."I was watching Dave Zollo play, and I thought, you know, he's so good, how come we ship all our music budget out of town? How come we don't do more with this?" Hiett says. "And I may have had a few at that point, but I had theA Unique Digital Music Service, For Locals Onlyhttp://kasu.org/post/library-turns-local-scene
33137 as http://kasu.orgThu, 22 Aug 2013 16:11:00 +0000A Unique Digital Music Service, For Locals OnlyClay Mastershttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v74m9xomCys William Tyler takes the stage at the Trumpet Blossom Café, a vegan restaurant and bar in Iowa City. Surrounded by effects pedals for his guitar, he wears jeans and black cowboy boots, and his fingernails are about an inch long."I'm glad that we already had an amazing singer tonight, because I will not be singing at all," he tells the crowd.Tyler is a young guitarist who, like the late Jack Rose, has come from the world of rock to the old sound of finger-picked acoustic guitar that's been dubbed "American Primitive." In doing so, Tyler has managed to come up with his own sound blending the two. He's in the midst of a tour supporting his second record, Impossible Truth.While his songs lack lyrics, they're not short on backstory. He'll set them up with discourses on dead languages, lost books and traveling the world alone. And that's how Tyler prefers it — he says he'd rather talk about his music than sing it."I'd rather write an artist statementWilliam Tyler Speaks 'Truth' Through His Guitarhttp://kasu.org/post/william-tyler-speaks-truth-through-his-guitar
32900 as http://kasu.orgSat, 17 Aug 2013 06:03:00 +0000William Tyler Speaks 'Truth' Through His GuitarClay MastersTranscript STEVE INSKEEP, HOST: It's MORNING EDITION, from NPR News. I'm Steve Inskeep.RENEE MONTAGNE, HOST: And I'm Renee Montagne. Good morning.The drought is hurting farming operations in much of the Midwest and Southwest, and its next possible victim: barge traffic on the Mississippi River. There were fears that shipping on this crucial cargo route could come to a halt as early as this week, when water levels reach historic lows. But the Army Corps of Engineers says the river will likely stay open for shipping at least until the end of the month. Still, many businesses that send products up and down the river remain concerned about what the future holds.Iowa Public Radio's Clay Masters begins his report along the river.CLAY MASTERS, BYLINE: I'm standing along the snowy banks of the Mississippi River in Muscatine, Iowa. There's some light flurries in the air. Some geese are flying overhead. The water's about 10 feet deep here, but there are no barges moving on the riverTIM BLY: ThisMississippi River Level Disrupts Supply Chainhttp://kasu.org/post/mississippi-river-level-disrupts-supply-chain
22843 as http://kasu.orgWed, 09 Jan 2013 09:46:00 +0000Mississippi River Level Disrupts Supply ChainClay MastersOne of the country's toughest congressional races is in Iowa between Republican Rep. Steve King and the state's former first lady, Christie Vilsack.Iowa is losing a seat in the House after the election, due to redistricting. Now ultra-conservative King is facing a more moderate electorate as he runs in the newly redrawn 4th Congressional District against a political newcomer.This week, King and Vilsack took their messages to the Iowa State Fair, a magnet for political candidates. President Obama and Republican vice presidential candidate Paul Ryan have also appeared there in recent days.Up at the pork tent, King worked a long line of hungry fair-goers."Ready for my pork chop?" a fair-goer asked King."I had a little bite," said King. "I tested 'em out for you. I'm here to tell you, avoid the veggie burger — go for the chops," he joked.The new district is believed to be more moderate, since it includes the college town of Ames, home of Iowa State, a massive agricultural researchKing, Vilsack Take House Battle To The Fairground http://kasu.org/post/king-vilsack-take-house-battle-iowa-state-fair
16582 as http://kasu.orgSat, 18 Aug 2012 10:31:00 +0000King, Vilsack Take House Battle To The Fairground Clay MastersThe drought is beginning to really sink its teeth into the Midwest. More than three-quarters of the nation's corn acres are in a drought zone. In Iowa, Illinois and Indiana, corn crops are burning up and its causing commodity prices to shoot up. Suburban residents are paying to water their lawns, but it isn't doing much good.Drought Hits Farmers And Residential Landscapershttp://kasu.org/post/drought-hits-farmers-and-residential-landscapers
14982 as http://kasu.orgThu, 19 Jul 2012 12:01:00 +0000Drought Hits Farmers And Residential LandscapersClay MastersFormer Nebraska Gov. and two-term Sen. Bob Kerrey, who faces long odds in reclaiming the seat left open by retiring Democratic Sen. Ben Nelson, is in his home state trying to get his old job back.After a full of morning of shaking hands, smiling and trying to win over voters, Kerrey settles on lunch at the Taqueria Tijuana in south Omaha.After lunch, he takes off walking down 24th Street, telling his staffers to catch up with him. He says things are different now from when he first sought public office in 1982."It's the theory of quantum mechanics: Everything looks different depending on where you stand," he says. "So the world looks different to me at 68 than it does when I was at 38, or 48, even 58. I know what the Senate's like. I know what's there. I know it's hard, but I also know how to do the work."The latest polls show Kerrey trailing not one, not two, but the top three GOP contenders by double digits. But sitting shotgun in a staffer's SUV, Kerrey says he's not worried aboutDemocrat Bob Kerrey Faces Uphill Race In Nebraskahttp://kasu.org/post/democrat-bob-kerrey-faces-uphill-race-nebraska
10428 as http://kasu.orgTue, 17 Apr 2012 06:53:00 +0000Democrat Bob Kerrey Faces Uphill Race In Nebraska